The 10 biggest Chicago sports business stories of 2013

With the exception of the overwhelming success of the Chicago Blackhawks, 2013 was another disappointing year on the field and court for Chicago's pro sports teams. But there was no shortage of excitement and drama on the business side. Here are the top 10 Chicago sports business stories of 2013:

1. The Wrigley Field renovation saga

After more than two years of pushing for public financing to renovate Wrigley Field, the Ricketts family changed course at the Cubs Convention in January by announcing that it would fund the project out of pocket — with a series of regulatory concessions from the city and Lakeview neighborhood. That kicked off the 2013 Wrigley Field renovation soap opera. The Cubs, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney announced a framework deal in April involving relaxed game-day restrictions and new allowances for the team to spur the beginning of a $500 million plan to renovate the 99-year-old ballpark — left field video board included — and redevelop its surrounding property. The extensive planned development passed through City Council in July and again this month with various tweaks, but a stand-off with the Wrigleyville Rooftop Association over outfield signage remains a major hurdle, even with the mayor pushing the team to get started.

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2. Blackhawks win again, cash in

On the heels of a lockout that couldn't have had worse timing for Chicago's most exciting pro team, the Blackhawks started the truncated 2013 NHL season with a league record 24 game point streak, earning acclaim from Sports Illustrated in February as "The Franchise That Brought Hockey Back." That helped ownership justify its 16 percent ticket price increase for 2013-14, as Hawks mania reached a fever pitch during the playoffs in May and June. City coffers got a boost, too, with 12 home playoff games generating more than $3 million for the city through the 9 percent amusement tax and the sliding-scale tax on parking. After dramatically winning a second Stanley Cup in four seasons, a celebration flooded downtown streets and Grant Park, while owner Rocky Wirtz continued to eye his goal of raising ticket prices even more to get the team to turn a profit without the help of other Wirtz Corp. businesses.

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Derrick Rose warming up before a Bulls pre-season game in October. Photo: Danny Ecker

3. Derrick's back . . . and gone again

Cleared in April to play by team doctors after nearly a year of rehabbing his left knee, Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose caught flak from fans and media for sitting out late in the season and during the 2013 playoffs. All was forgiven when the former NBA MVP returned to the court for preseason games in September, looking sharp and leading the Bulls to an undefeated exhibition schedule while brands like Adidas, Giordano's and Skullcandy rode the wave of his return in ads. But Bulls nation was rattled again just two months later when the team ruled the 25-year-old out for the remainder of the season after he suffered a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, sparking questions about whether Mr. Rose will be the centerpiece of the team moving forward.

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4. DePaul's new arena

In May, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and DePaul University unveiled a controversial plan to build a $173 million, 10,000-seat arena next to McCormick Place, billed as both the future home of Blue Demon basketball and a key piece of the mayor's effort to revitalize the near South Side. The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McPier) set out an ambitious goal to get the building to break even after a few years with a flurry of conventions and other events using the facility. DePaul, meanwhile, which turned down an offer from the United Center to play its games there, could get a recruiting boost from the new digs, though the school would have to more than triple its current annual attendance to meet McPier's projections.

Historically bad baseball on both sides of Chicago left a lot of seats empty at Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field, but neither team is moving ticket prices in 2014. Fewer tickets sold also did a number on the city's amusement tax fund, which pulls in 9 percent of every ticket each team sells. The tax was under budget for the first quarter of 2013 because of lower Sox and Cubs ticket prices and the delayed NHL season, but rallied with lucrative NHL and NBA playoff ticket sales to finish 10 percent above projections for the second quarter.

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Juan Gaytan, president of Monterrey

Security Consultants Inc., the company

that guards Soldier Field.

6. New security rules at Soldier Field

The April Boston Marathon bombing spurred tighter security at NFL stadiums, including Soldier Field, where new rules for the 2013 season limit fans to carrying in small, clear plastic bags or small purses. For $10, fans could rent lockers to store their forbidden stuff, or have it confiscated as if they were trying to bring liquids through security at the airport. The Park District-owned stadium's security budget got a "significant increase" to fund more guards in and around the stadium to enforce the new measures.

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7. Urlacher retires, Konerko returns

Chicagoans said goodbye to one local sports legend, but will get one more season with another. After awkwardly parting ways with the franchise for which he played his entire 13-year career, Bears great Brian Urlacher retired from the NFL in May. He's moved on to a TV analyst gig with Fox Sports — a platform he's used to make local headlines during the 2013 Bears season for comments about the Bears faking injuries in the past and his relationship with Jay Cutler. Meanwhile, White Sox face of the franchise Paul Konerko opted for one more farewell tour on the South Side, accepting a one-year contract for 2014 in a part-time role to help newcomer Jose Abreu adjust to first base. The 37-year-old says his 16th season in a Sox uniform will be his final go-around as a player.

8. Chicago Rush folds

Marred by embarrassing management woes — including a checkered legal past of its most recent owner — the Chicago Rush arena football franchise folded after the 2013 AFL season. Two new owners failed to revive the debt-ridden franchise that was being run by the Chicago-based league in 2012, pushing other league owners to stop funding the team. The AFL moved on, however, with an expansion team in Los Angeles owned by members of the band KISS, and this month supplemented its CBS Sports broadcasting contract with an agreement with ESPN.

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9. Chicago Marathon registration snafu

Registration for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon got messy in February when the Active.com site runners use to sign up crashed, forcing officials to suspend the process for a few weeks before ultimately doling out the final 15,000 race bibs through a lottery system. In the wake of the technical snafu, executive race director Carey Pinkowski said he'd consider switching the entire registration process to a lottery system in 2014, just as the ING New York City Marathon did in 1999 to cope with overwhelming demand. This month, race officials announced that 2014 sign-ups will open a month later than they did in 2012, giving the group more time to evaluate the lottery option and decide whether it will continue using the Active.com platform.

10. Wolves get the Blues

After a tumultuous partnership with the Vancouver Canucks ended, the Chicago Wolves in April signed a new three-year deal as the American Hockey League affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are the Wolves' third NHL partner in the independently-owned franchise's 12-year AHL history and give the minor league team more leeway to manage playing time and contract decisions.